(Grand) Narratives blossom still: bishōjo, character database and political narratives in the Muv Luv franchise

Abstract

Japanese pop-culture, especially moekyara-based culture such as anime/manga/videogames, has been described as being not driven by overarching narratives, but rather by the appeal of characters constituted by elements which engender affection in the audience (Azuma 2007, 2009, Kacsuk 2016). These elements constitute a database, an ensemble of unordered items which reference their host culture and which can be (apparently) freely aggregated, producing new characters which are capable of exerting fascination and empathy in the audience. While Azuma has written about the disappearance of narrative, what can be observed is that narrative has not, in fact disappeared because, as the character are placed in various contexts, their constitutive database elements undergo a process of re-contextualization that highlights their employment of characters as agents of mediation between their audience and what is beyond them, as they constitute an interface of objects and spaces that relays signs between other semiotic actants (Nozawa 2013) as what lies in the background (the narrative world) is re-articulated through the database elements. This potentiality can be employed to communicate themes and concepts (which can range from commercial slogans to political statements) that are not codified into the database. The Muv Luv franchise, as a case study, shows this process in effect, as political statements are articulated through a character’s constitutive elements.